Real Madrid are the only La Liga club left in the 2025 Club World Cup following Atletico Madrid’s surprising group stage exit, and Xabi Alonso’s men are poised to win it all. Los Blancos just came off a 1-0 win against Juventus in the quarter-finals, and they will face a familiar opponent in Borussia Dortmund in the next round.
Since Atletico Madrid are already eliminated from the showpiece event, they are focused on bolstering their squad (and La Liga 2025 odds) ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. Diego Simeone’s side have one eye on the present and another one on the future, as they try to break the Barcelona-Real Madrid duopoly.
Speaking of transfers, Barcelona have been busy on the phones looking to confirm their second summer signing, as it has been a while. However, Athletic Bilbao, the other involved party, are not keen on letting go of their star player easily.
Here is some of the latest La Liga 2025 news, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Real Madrid now have competition at right-back
For the first time in a long while, Real Madrid have two natural right-backs available, as Dani Carvajal was named in Xabi Alonso’s matchday squad against Juventus. The 33-year-old skipper did not play, but being on the bench is already an achievement in itself, considering what he had been through in the past few months.
“On a personal level, I feel great,” Carvajal said before the Juventus match. “I don’t know if I’ll be part of the squad tomorrow, perhaps I can be on the bench and available to the coach. I’m really pleased in that sense. I know myself, and I know that if they bring me on, I’ll give 100% out there. All out. No fear, confidence is sky high.”
This is music to the ears of the Madridistas since Carvajal has been out for nearly a year due to a torn ACL. Once he gets it going, he should regularly battle against Trent Alexander-Arnold for the starting berth, a challenge he relishes.
But right now, Alexander-Arnold will hold it down for Los Blancos because he is in form. The former Liverpool man was the one who set up Gonzalo Garcia’s matchwinning header against Juventus with his pinpoint cross in the second half. Alexander-Arnold can also play in the middle of the park if needed, which is something Carvajal doesn’t necessarily do.
Speaking of Garcia, the 21-year-old striker is expected to have more playing time this upcoming season. He has made the Club World Cup his playground, notching three goals and an assist in the showpiece event thus far.
Atletico Madrid plan to go young
Atletico Madrid are going in a different direction this summer, as they’ve decided to let go of some of their veterans to make way for younger players. Without hesitation, they released Axel Witsel, Reinildo Mandava, and Cesar Azpilicueta, who are approaching their mid-30s. And in return, they’ve added Matteo Ruggeri, Clement Lenglet, and Juan Musso for a whopping combined €20 million fee.
Ruggeri, 22, came through Atalanta’s academy and made his professional debut in 2020. His breakthrough campaign was in 2023-24, where he played 48 matches (42 as a starter), scoring twice and providing five assists for La Dea.
Los Rojiblancos struggled to find a consistent left-back last season, as Javi Galan, Reinildo Mandava, Samuel Lino, Rodrigo Riquelme, and César Azpilicueta failed to claim the starting position definitively. Ruggeri could be the present and long-term answer, with his physicality and superb crossing ability.
In addition to Ruggeri, Atletico Madrid are also finalising deals for Villarreal’s Alex Baena and Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso. The club is also expected to find reinforcements at centre-back, right-back, and striker, especially with Angel Correa likely to leave soon.
Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao play tug-of-war
Barcelona, who recently confirmed their acquisition of Espanyol’s Joan Garcia, are still in the running for Nico Williams’ signature, but Athletic Bilbao are making it difficult for Hansi Flick’s side to complete the transfer. The Blaugrana are willing to pay Williams’ €62 million release clause, but Los Leones reportedly demanded a one-time payment instead of via installments.
While all of this is going on, Williams’ camp is also growing concerned about the possibility of not being able to play for Barcelona even if a deal goes through due to La Liga’s strict financial regulations. Dani Olmo and Pau Victor were notably removed from the squad midseason as their wages didn’t fit within the team’s salary cap, and they needed the intervention of the Spanish government to register them.
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